old tv with no red wire input

[oldtv]

I have an older tv that only has a coaxial connection and yellow/white jacks. I have a digital converter box, dvd, and vcr hooked up to the tv. My digital converter box has red/white/yellow jacks. I tried to connect the RokuHD through the converter box and can only get the home screen for a few seconds as the converter box is turning off. However when the converter box turns off, the Roku screen disappears. Any suggestions on how to get the Roku to play? (Besides getting a new tv)

[nushmut]

You might try getting an RCA video switch box. The Roku-TV connection may not be working properly if you're connecting through a digital converter. Perhaps something like this would work?
http://www.amazon.com/RCA-VH911-Video-Switch-Box/dp/B00008X5DE

[mkiker2089]

Why does the converter box cut off? By converter do you mean something to hook devices to an RCA cable or a digital tuner?

You should be able to hook the red, white, and yellow into an RF modulator (converter box) and hook it up to the TV.

The best solution is to buy a new TV. I know it isn't what you asked but TVs have improved greatly over the past few years.

[stratcat96]

just run your converter box through the coax input and the Roku through the two RCA connections. The white connection is for the left channel and will give you mono since the left channel contains audio mix from both the left and right stereo space. Or, run the converter box and dvd player to an RF modulator that plugs to the RF of the TV and the Roku to the RCA

[mkiker2089]

Since there is no red wire perhaps we should assume the TV is mono anyway. Won't it sound like crap having a stereo device hooked up that way?

Really, you need a new TV A 60 inch LCD and a giant subwoofer would be nice. Get a chair with a cooler in the armrest and one of those free standing theatre style popcorn poppers also.

[stratcat96]

Since there is no red wire perhaps we should assume the TV is mono anyway. Won't it sound like crap having a stereo device hooked up that way?

Really, you need a new TV A 60 inch LCD and a giant subwoofer would be nice. Get a chair with a cooler in the armrest and one of those free standing theatre style popcorn poppers also.

yes, the TV probably only has one speaker, but his reception of OTA and DVD are both stereo and probably sound just fine to him that way. Remember not everyone has the money to run out and buy a new TV Moneybags j/k

[mkiker2089]

Since there is no red wire perhaps we should assume the TV is mono anyway. Won't it sound like crap having a stereo device hooked up that way?

Really, you need a new TV A 60 inch LCD and a giant subwoofer would be nice. Get a chair with a cooler in the armrest and one of those free standing theatre style popcorn poppers also.

yes, the TV probably only has one speaker, but his reception of OTA and DVD are both stereo and probably sound just fine to him that way. Remember not everyone has the money to run out and buy a new TV Moneybags j/k

I needed the new TV. Anyone keeping up with my threads knows that I have a Wii, PS3, Sony SMP-N100, Roku (before they had names), Logitech Revue, and now a Roku2 XS. I needed more inputs I forgot, an LG blu ray player, it has Netflix as well. There's a little LCD screen on my printer that doesn't have Netflix yet, but I'm sure they are working on it.

My thinking about stereo and such was that OTA would be converted by the TV somehow but the Roku won't. I have no idea how that works however. I know that if something is solely on one side and a device is hooked up like this it will sound strange, but that rarely happens. I frequent home theatre forums and when DVD first became big people had issues with it because DVD always defaulted to surround sound and people were losing sound effects and having muttled dialog.

[stratcat96]

Since there is no red wire perhaps we should assume the TV is mono anyway. Won't it sound like crap having a stereo device hooked up that way?

Really, you need a new TV A 60 inch LCD and a giant subwoofer would be nice. Get a chair with a cooler in the armrest and one of those free standing theatre style popcorn poppers also.

yes, the TV probably only has one speaker, but his reception of OTA and DVD are both stereo and probably sound just fine to him that way. Remember not everyone has the money to run out and buy a new TV Moneybags j/k

I needed the new TV. Anyone keeping up with my threads knows that I have a Wii, PS3, Sony SMP-N100, Roku (before they had names), Logitech Revue, and now a Roku2 XS. I needed more inputs I forgot, an LG blu ray player, it has Netflix as well. There's a little LCD screen on my printer that doesn't have Netflix yet, but I'm sure they are working on it.

My thinking about stereo and such was that OTA would be converted by the TV somehow but the Roku won't. I have no idea how that works however. I know that if something is solely on one side and a device is hooked up like this it will sound strange, but that rarely happens. I frequent home theatre forums and when DVD first became big people had issues with it because DVD always defaulted to surround sound and people were losing sound effects and having muttled dialog.

Anyone keeping up with my threads knows that I have a Wii, PS3, Sony SMP-N100, Roku (before they had names), Logitech Revue, and now a Roku2 XS. I needed more inputs I forgot, an LG blu ray player, it has Netflix as well. There's a little LCD screen on my printer that doesn't have Netflix yet, but I'm sure they are working on it.

Hence the moniker "Moneybags" lol I'm kidding

The coax input blends both left and right channels together if the output is monaural, and in mixing audio very few (if any) instruments (in music) or sound effects are panned solely to one side of the stereo spectrum. Even if something is, digital delays and reverb are layered onto the effect so the sound bleeds through to the other side. Even music albums like Jimi Hendrix's album "Are You Experienced" is harshly separated with the rhythm tracks being on the left channel and bled over to the right (drums were usually mixed in mono right off center in those days) but guitar and voice on the right channel with a tiny bit of bleed through back to the left. Mixing has gotten alot more precise in the last few decades so that left channel will give you a pretty good "picture" of what the recording had on its stereo spectrum. He'll be fine

[oldtv]

I tried using just the white and yellow cables, but I am unable to get any picture on the television. I have gone through all of the channels and modes, including the game mode on the tv. I'm going to try the rf modulator. Thanks for all of the suggestions so far!

[stratcat96]

I tried using just the white and yellow cables, but I am unable to get any picture on the television. I have gone through all of the channels and modes, including the game mode on the tv. I'm going to try the rf modulator. Thanks for all of the suggestions so far!

What is the make/model of the TV? I can pull up the manual quickly and find out how to switch the input

[ryanxwalton]

I have an older tv that only has a coaxial connection and yellow/white jacks. I have a digital converter box, dvd, and vcr hooked up to the tv. My digital converter box has red/white/yellow jacks. I tried to connect the RokuHD through the converter box and can only get the home screen for a few seconds as the converter box is turning off. However when the converter box turns off, the Roku screen disappears. Any suggestions on how to get the Roku to play? (Besides getting a new tv)

This is exactly what you need for your situation. http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F8V3063-RF-Modulator/dp/B00076FVP6/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1313636396&sr=1-3 or http://www.amazon.com/RCA-CRF907-Compact-RF-Modulator/dp/B0014KKV7W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1313636396&sr=1-1.

You can also find these at your local Walmart. They are usually in the section where they sell universal remotes, coaxial cable, and antennas.

All you have to do with this is plug your Roku's Red, White, and Yellow ports into the same on the RF Modulator, and then connect your TV to this through a coaxial cable. Turn your TV to whichever channel is set on the RF Modulator(Either 3 or 4), and start watching your Roku. I used something like this once with a Direct TV receiver.

[stratcat96]

if you're using an RF modulator with the Roku, you have to make sure you get one that is a manual switcher. An automatic switcher switches as soon as one of the other inputs are fed a signal (i.e. the dvd player is turned on). Since the Roku stays on all the time, it'll mess up the switching

[catastrophegirl]

i have an older tv with a coaxial input only and i sometimes hook the roku to it through an old vcr. the vcr in that room only has yellow/white also.
it works fine for me that way. the vcr works as an rf modulator.
i tried using a converter box for the same setup once and it didn't work. but hooking them both to the vcr [2 inputs] and changing the vcr channel to switch between them works just fine.
i do have a newer tv now but it's much easier to move the roku than either tv so i just move the roku

[stratcat96]

my parents have an old RCA 19" tube TV with the same setup as the OP, one RF input and R/W rca inputs. I hooked up their converter box and magnavox dvd player into an automatic RF modulator, the rf from the converter and the rca of the DVD player then the Roku's R/W to the corresponding hookup on the TV. That way, all the input selection is able to be done by the remote by either turning on or off the DVD player, or switching the TVs input to the Roku. You never have to get up to do it manually that way

[mommom]

Check your local Craigslist for a free tv from someone who is upgrading to flat screen,its a good chance you would find one with more inputs.My local CL currently has a free 19 inch and a $25 27 inch Sony with remote,both have lots of inputs.